Lawyer gunned down in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: A senior lawyer was shot dead by unidentified armed men in the crowded Nauthia Bazaar on Monday.

Locals said armed men opened fire on Niazmeen Shah Advocate in the crowded Nauthia Bazaar and escaped. The lawyer was taken to the nearby Cantonment Hospital where he succumbed to injuries. His body was later shifted to the Khyber Medical College for autopsy.

The lawyer community has announced a boycott of the courts today (Tuesday) to protest the murder of a senior colleague. Peshawar High Court Bar Association general secretary Yasir Khattak, while announcing the boycott of the courts, demanded the government to provide security to the legal fraternity. Soon after the incident, the relatives and other villagers took to the streets to protest the murder of Niazmeen Shah. Some people torched the house of an accused nominated in the case in Miskeenabad.

Locals said a number of policemen were present on the spot but did not stop the people from torching the house. Fire-brigade later arrived on the spot to put off the fire. Senior Superintendent of Police, Operations, Javed Iqbal took notice of the incident and directed the DSP Suburb to arrest all those involved in setting the house on fire. The SSP directed the SP City to submit a report in the case within 24 hours. Meanwhile, the relatives of the slain lawyer accused their rivals of torching own house after the murder. The family members of the slain lawyer also nominated their rivals Rahim Shah, Adil and others in the first information report.